Pat Riley's influence assists Warriors coach Mark Jackson

He was asked who were some coaches influenced him to join the profession after retiring as a player and leaving his job as a television analyst. The first name was familiar to Heat fans.

"There's no question about it that the guy sitting here with tremendous success, Pat Riley, I have tremendous respect for," Jackson said. "He's an all-time great coach, not just in basketball but in sports history, truly a winner and an incredible motivator."

Jackson, who led the Warriors to the playoffs in just his second season, also credited Louisville coach Rick Pitino, his college coach at St. John's (Lou Carnesecca), former Knicks coach Jeff Van Gundy and his high school coach.

All were influential but none like Riley. He only played just one season under Riley with the Knicks (1991-92) but the two remained in contact over the years. Riley even played a role in Jackson landing a job without coaching experience when he was hired by the Warriors before the 2011-12 season.

Jackson had been working as an analyst for ABC before the Warriors took a gamble. Thus far, it has paid off, with Jackson being one of the league's rising coaches.

"I've been extremely blessed with incredible coaches, to sit beside Jeff Van Gundy also years as an analyst on TV," Jackson said. "It's been great. Also, coach Riley picking up the phone saying I would be a good coach. I'll forever be indebted and grateful for the impact he's had on my life."

Consistency issues on defense

Even though the Heat went 11-4 in December, they displayed some of the defensive problems that plagued them early in the season.

Miami allowed seven opponents to score at least 100 points during the month. Included in the group were the Chicago Bulls and Detroit Pistons, who rank in the bottom half of the league in offense. The Bulls are the league's worst scoring team at 91.3 points a game.

In contrast, only three teams topped 100 against the Heat in November.

"There were times where it looked really good," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "There were other times the opponent was getting what they wanted. We just have to continue to push forward. Hopefully in 2014, we'll be more consistent."

Warriors coach again complimentary

Jackson is no stranger to gushing over the Heat when the his team comes to Miami. During pregame, he was extra complimentary of LeBron James' ability.

"He is the greatest small forward to ever play this game," Jackson said. "He is in the discussion for one of the greatest passers to ever play this game. He is the greatest frontline passer that we have ever seen."

The comments were similar to last season when Jackson praised guard Dwyane Wade, calling him the third best shooting guard in NBA history behind Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant.

First for Jones

Heat swingman James Jones was inactive for the first time this season. The move came as a surprise considering Jones isn't dealing with any injury issues.

Roger Mason replaced Jones on the active list, a decision that may have been made to combat the Warriors' quickness in the backcourt. As usual, center Greg Oden was the other inactive.

More nicknames revealed

SLAM magazine posted more images of the nickname jerseys to be worn when the Heat play the Brooklyn Nets Dec. 10 at Barclays Center. While Ray Allen (J.Shuttlesworth) and James (King James) were already known, the photo revealed guard Norris Cole will wear "Cole Train" on the back.

On Thursday, center Joel Anthony said he will wear "Doc" instead of the more popular "Warden" nickname on his jersey. Among the more creative monikers was Nets forward Andrei Kirilenko, who will wear his name written in Russian on the back.